Carpet-sweeper



(ModeL) -G. K. STINSON.

CARPET SWEEPER.

No. 415,478. Patented Nov. 19, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES K. STINSON, OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BISSELL CARPET SIVEEPER COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,478, dated November 19, 1889.

Application filed October 18,1888. Serial No. 288,464- (Modeh) To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, CHARLES K. STINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chelsea, in the county of Suffolk and State of 5 Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carpet Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to carpet-sweepers, and has for its objects to provide novel means for opening and closing the dust-pans to discharge the contents thereof, and to provide novel means whereby the pansmay be held or locked in their open and closed positions.

I To such ends the invention consists, essentially, in the combination, with the pivoted dust-pan of a carpet-sweeper, of a shaft having a crank-connection with the pan in such manner that the rotation of the shaft will operate the crank-connection and open the pan to discharge the contents.

The invention also consists in the features of construction and combination of devices hereinafter described and claimed, reference 2 5 being made to the accompanying drawings,

in which- Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a sweeper-case, showing one form of my invention; Fig. 2, detail perspective views of the rotary crank-shaft andadust-pan; Fig. 3,a View similar to Fig. 1, showing a modification of the invention; Fig. i, detail perspective views of the crank-shaft and dust-pan shown in Fig. 3.

In order to enable those skilled in the art 3 5 to make and use my invention, I will now describe the same in detail, referring to the drawings, wherein The numeral 1 indicates a carpet-sweeper casing, and 2 a tilting dust-pan,which is here shown as pivoted at 3 inside of the inner longitudinal edge portion 4, but which may be otherwise pivoted and arranged to suit the conditions required. The sweeper will in practice comprise a brush-shaft and driving mechanism; but these are not illustrated, for

they contitute no part of the invention.

Various contrivances have heretofore been employed for operating the dust-pan of acarpet-sweepersuch, for example, as swinging 5o levers and sliding pressure or lifting bars connected with the pansso that by swinging the levers on pivots or by sliding the pressure or lifting bars in guides the pans are tilted.

The present invention improves the panoperating mechanism, and, in contradistinction to swinging levers or sliding pressure or lifting bars, as mentioned, I utilize a crank movement to quickly and conveniently open and close the pans, either or both, for which purpose I provide an axially-rotating shaft 5, arranged in suitable bearings on the sweepercasing, and having a crank-connection with the dust-pan in such manner that by rotating the shaft on its axis in the proper direction the crank will open or close the pan.

The crank-connection may be variously formed and arranged; but I exhibit two constructions as sufficiently illustrative of my improvement. 1

In Figs. 1 and 2 the axially-rotating shaft 5 is composed of a wire rod having two bends 6 and 7, and the long arm 8 is bent laterally out of line with the shaft and loosely connected with the pan, as by passing it through a loop or eye 9 on the latter above the pivots 3, such construction providing the shaft with a crank having such spring action or inherent elasticity that when the shaft is turned in one direction the crank Will tilt the pan, and the increased tension placed thereby on the wire will tend to quickly swing the pan to its open position, as shown in Fig. 1, in which position the action of the spring-crank is such as to lock the pan fully open until the shaft 5 is turned in the opposite direction. When this is done, the crank acts on the loop or eye 9 and recloses the pan and holds or looks the latter closed until the shaft is again rotated to open the pan.

In order to conveniently manipulate the 0 axially-rotating shaft, it is extended to the exterior of the case and provided with a suitable device-such as the handle or finger-piece 10, which, as here illustrated, is on the extremity of a laterally-bent part 11 of the Wire rod. This construction provides a crank-connection having inherent elasticity, which quickly throws the pan to its open position; but I do not confine myself to this construction nor to a crank-connection which has a I00 and 2, and the axial rotation of the shaft so operates the crank as to open and close the pan, the latter being held or locked in either position until the shaft is intentionally rotated.

The spring action of the crank-connection is desirable in that it tends to hold the pan fully open and also tightly closed, and, further, quickens the opening and closing movements, while the spring action of the crank itself permits me, if I desire to do so, to avoid using separate springs, which tend to hold the pan fully open or fully closed, either or both.

The crank movement simplifies the dumping mechanism of a carpet-sweeper. It enables the pans to be quickly and conveniently opened and closed, and it practically holds or locks the pans open and closed if the shaft be entirely released.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination,with the movable dustpan of a carpet-sweeper, of a crank connected with the pan for opening or closing the same, substantially as described.

'2. The combination,with the pivoted dustshaft having a crank-connection with the pan for opening the latter by the axial rotation of the shaft, substantially as described.

' The combination,with the pivoted dustpan of a carpet-sweeper, of an axially-rotating Wire shaft bent laterally at one extremity to form a crank-arm,which is connected with the pan to open the latter by the axial rotation of the shaft, substantially as described.

4. The combination,with the movable dustpan of a carpet-sweeper, of an axially-rotating wire shaft formed with a spring crank-arm loosely connected with the pan for opening and closing the latter and looking it open or closed, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES K. STINSON.

Witnesses:

O. M. SHAW, E. M. SPINNEY.

35 pan of a carpet-sweeper, of an axially-rotating 

